Big plans on the table to team up in sectors such as water, wildlife, rail links, tourism – and even lynx conservation
The Algarve wants to team up with its neighbouring regions – Portugal’s Alentejo and Spain’s Andalusia – in a move to boost cross-border cooperation and tackle shared challenges from drought to tourism.
The idea has been pitched by the Algarve’s regional development commission (CCDR Algarve) which aims to create working groups by July to spark momentum for the Algarve-Alentejo-Andalusia Euroregion, a strategic alliance across these three southern Iberian Peninsula regions.
In a statement, CCDR Algarve says the aim is to “deepen synergies in strategic areas for the sustainable and cohesive development of the Euroregion”. It adds that its leader, José Apolinário, has already written a letter to his counterparts in the Alentejo and Andalusia (António Ceia da Silva and Juanma Moreno, respectively) asking for their feedback and urging them to commit to a two-year action plan by this September.
In its proposal, CCDR Algarve says that the working groups should involve universities, businesses, local authorities, research centres and other public and private entities and should tackle a wide range of issues.
Water and smart resource management is chief among them, CCDR says. In the commission’s view, the three regions should work together to boost water resilience and a more sustainable management of natural resources. To do this, CCDR Algarve defends the use of EU funds to develop the necessary projects and help protect “sensitive ecosystems in the Guadiana river valley.”
Boosting biodiversity protection, including the preservation of the Iberian lynx, is another goal highlighted by the commission, as well as the prevention and control of invasive species and the promotion of good practices for improving soil quality.
CCDR Algarve is also calling for coordination to improve rail and road links between the three regions, namely the long-promised international bridge between Alcoutim and Sanlúcar de Guadiana and the Faro-Huela-Seville rail link, as well as the improvement of existing cycling paths.
Next on the commission’s wishlist is the development of the “blue economy”, with a focus on improving the navigability of the Guadiana River, investing in desalination and the production of algae, and marine environment protection. Also on the list is a plan for the Euroregion to host the European Day of the Sea in 2027.
In the field of culture and tourism, the Algarve is calling for investments in the improvement of the region’s “tangible and intangible cultural heritage, the promotion of joint cultural events and programmes, and the creation of an Iberian mobility programme in the field of tourism and hospitality, similar to ERASMUS”.
Even fire prevention is an area that CCDR Algarve believes the three regions can work on together, be it by hosting joint forest fire prevention activities or developing “interoperable technological platforms” and “rapid alert networks”.
Lastly, the Algarve would like to create a special working group focusing on housing, with the idea being that each region brings its best practices and public policies to the table when it comes to affordable and social housing.
